Smith Does 5.14+ Traverse

Scottish strongman Malcolm Smith has completed the old "Big Link" project on the quarried and drilled limestone of Parisella’s Cave in North Wales. Smith renamed the traverse Pilgrimage for his 10 visits and 3,000 miles of driving to complete the problem. Ben Moon nearly climbed the traverse in the early ’90s but fell attempting a harder exit. Pilgrimage links several existing long problems via desperate slopers and underclings. Smith suggested it would be around V14, but that a climbing grade of 9a (5.14d) more accurately reflected the power endurance needed to complete it. Pictures of Smith on the route can be seen at http://www.climbonline.co.uk/the_ormes.htm.